Category Archive: Religion

Notes 20 Photos and some thoughts — Part 1

For them not interested in reading, you can see the photos in THIS<<link SmugMug Gallery.  

For a SmugMug slideshow, click HERE<<link. When you click the link, it will open in a new window, and you have two options:
1) Manually scroll through the photos by clicking the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos.
2) There’s a PLAY/PAUSE button at the bottom-left of the screen with the transition set at about 5 seconds. Note: clicking the PLAY arrow will run a full-screen slideshow. You can then still use the”<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos (this will pause the slideshow).

If you want the full experience, keep reading.

Photo taken at a flowerbed in front of Herrin Hospital.

The photos in this quick series of posts have all been taken with the Note 20 this May, lightly processed in Lightroom (see what I did there?), and output for this blog post.

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A pressure-relieving rant

It might be evident to some that I’ve consciously retreated from commenting on current affairs. Well, mostly. I’ll throw the odd jab here and there, but I don’t address specific topics, not even when those topics dominate the news and/or are of supreme importance to humanity in general.

But don’t be fooled. Inside, I have plenty of opinions and, increasingly, my concern for the future of this country (and the world) leads me to pessimistic estimates about the path we’re traveling.

For instance, I believe both Republicans and Democrats systematically — and for different end-goals — weaken the Constitution and the rule of law as they engage in an ideological power struggle where the public and the public interest are but pawns to be played and sacrificed.

A few years ago, it would have seemed impossible, but I believe we’re watching the dismantling of our system of government. I don’t know what will replace it, but I’m certain a large percentage of the population won’t like it . . . and it will be too late to do anything about it.  

At this point, someone might say I’m overreacting and that we’ve faced this and worse in the past. Yes, we’ve faced similar threats in the past and we — in each instance — recovered and came out of them arguably the better for it.

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Bugs, Bees, Birds, Flowers, and Thoughts – Part 6 of 7

For them not interested in reading, you can go directly to the SmugMug Gallery HERE.  These photos are added to the D7500 camera samples Gallery since they are taken exclusively with that camera.

For a SmugMug slideshow click HERE. When you click the link, it will open in a new window.

If you want the full experience, keep reading. Also, if you see stuff crossed out (like this) it’s editing after I published the post and any new words are in gray. Part of my educational outreach effort showing people how to improve clarity in writing (I hope).

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Bugs, Bees, Birds, Flowers, and Thoughts – Part 2 of 7

For them not interested in reading, you can go directly to the SmugMug Gallery HERE.  These photos are added to the D7500 camera samples Gallery since they are taken exclusively with that camera.

For a SmugMug slideshow click HERE. When you click the link, it will open in a new window.

If you want the full experience, keep reading. Also, if you see stuff crossed out (like this) it’s editing after I published the post and any new words are in gray. Part of my educational outreach effort showing people how to improve clarity in writing (I hope).

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Bugs, Bees, Birds, Flowers, and Thoughts – Part 1 of 7

For them not interested in reading, you can go directly to the SmugMug Gallery HERE.  These are added to the D7500 camera Gallery since they are taken exclusively with that camera.

For a SmugMug slideshow click HERE. When you click the link, it will open in a new window and you have two options:
1) Manually scroll through the photos by clicking the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos.
2) There’s a PLAY/PAUSE button at the bottom-left of the screen with the transition set at about 5 seconds. Note: clicking the PLAY arrow will run a full-screen slideshow. You can then still use the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos as this will pause the slideshow.

If you want the full experience, keep reading. Also, if you see stuff crossed out (like this) it’s editing after I published the post and any new words are in gray. Part of my educational outreach effort.

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Oh, whatever shall we do?

Believe it or not, this is by request. Also, lots of words (3,135 of them). Also, it’s my opinion . . . which means I meander in thought. I put this together rather quickly so if you find fault with it . . . well, I won’t be surprised.

Anyway, coming from a friend, the request carried weight.

I was asked to answer this question:
How do you get purpose and meaning without God?

Mind you, he already has answers but was curious to read what I had to say. Well, now, you know I won’t offer up the answer without many words leading up to it.

A number of my previous posts address this question either directly or indirectly, but I thought I would revisit the issue. In this piece, I’ll speak primarily about Christians. Other religions might be more or less descriptive in such matters but if there’s a god involved, that’s who believers say gives their lives meaning and purpose.

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Flowers and Thoughts Part 2 — We’re Doomed! Doomed, I Tell You!

I started this post before the suicide bomber attacked children in Manchester, England. I took a few days off from blogging because — like most people these days — I feel the equivalent of battle fatigue and the attack put a literal and deadly stench on it. That’s also why this is a relatively short post.

There are no words I can add about the bombing that have not already been said, written, and thought, so I’ll continue with my original topic for this post which is, unfortunately, peripherally related. 

As with Part I, I’ll be putting up a few flower photos for them who are not interested in words. Some of the photos will be different versions of the same shot; first the altered shot, then the photo processed as I usually do. Of course, as usual, you can click on the photos for a larger version or go to THIS SmugMug Gallery.

For them not interested in SmugMug or scrolling through the post, there is a gallery at the bottom of the post (a fast scroll). 

Anyway, my thoughts on what’s going on out there, in the religious-political wasteland. 

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I am, therefore, I muse

I never know how to introduce these posts. One could well argue that the point of these posts, the purpose for their existence, is to show off a few photos.

On the other hand, given their quality, one could rightly assume the photos are but sacrificial offerings to the brilliant musings therein . . . you know, if only these were brilliant musings.

Right . . . that sets up the first topic: Photography.

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Random observations and tiny rants

Ideas, opinions, and insight into the human condition stem from the flow of sensory and cognitive inputs crossing the path I travel. Occasionally, I feel like sharing them. The opinions, not the inputs; look up your own data.

Yup! Another opinion piece. For them tired of my written words, there is a small gallery of the photos at the bottom of the post. Or, click HERE for the SmugMug Gallery. Either will let you bypass the spewings therein. 

I should preface what I’m about to write by saying nothing is absolute. I’m writing things based on what I felt at the time when a particular piece of information registered in the conscious parts of my brain. Often, my instantaneous thoughts regarding a given subject are not overly charitable and should probably not be taken literally . . . although I will tell you otherwise. 

Let’s begin with . . . 

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I muse, therefore, I am

Lots of stuff . . . that’s that I muse about. Or, is it “muse on?”

See? I muse about/on that too.

Along with my musing, I present a few B&W photos. Except, they are not B&W. They are shades of gray with some specks of pure black and pure white. Mostly, they are gray . . . just like my musings.

For them just interested in the photos, there’s a gallery at the bottom. I say that because I be writing mucho lungo. Lots and lots of me just letting my fingers go where my mind will lead them. 

FYI, I’m doing this in the hope that putting it down on (virtual paper) will empty it from my mind and free me up to write fiction. 

All of these photos can also be seen in THIS SmugMug Gallery, and all of the originals can be seen in HERE. You can also click on the photos to get a slightly larger version. 

So, what am I musing about these days? Well, there are always the old stalwarts; politics and religion. Let’s begin with those.

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Overview Effect

I often wonder why certain people — myself included — have such different views when it comes to living our lives. By different, I mean not conforming to the majority of people.

Obviously, because I think I’m smart, I believe my views of what constitutes a life well-lived are a notch above someone who — for the sake of argument — believes one should not think too much about things, preferring instead the facile answer, often from a book or self-described mystic. 

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Snippets

Man, oh man, could I write stuff . . . politics, religion, fake news . . . so much happens every day that one hardly has the time to formulate an opinion before one is slammed with the latest surreal event. 

As much as I could write, none of it would be fiction, and that’s a problem . . . I’ve not written any fiction now going on two months. I mean, what’s the point? Half the stuff I hear is way stranger, more engaging, more entertaining, scarier, and more out there than anything I could come up with. 

So, I play with photographs.

02sep2011_1__dsc5390-processed-impressions

By the way, all of the photos (and their original versions) are in THIS SmugMug Gallery for them who want to see the originals. You can also click on the photos to have a larger version open up in a new window or tab. 

Anyway, since I got not fiction to share, I’ll share opinion snippets on various topics. I won’t go into long dissertations on each one because — frankly — I don’t think it matters what I say. In that regard, this is me venting for my own benefit, so that I might eventually move on with my life. 

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